The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus which may output a digital video signal to an external electronic apparatus, and an information processing method.
In general, an AV (Audio/Visual) equipment such as a Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark, hereinafter referred to as BD) player or the like is connected to an external electronic apparatus such as a digital television apparatus to be used. The AV equipment is connected to an external electronic apparatus via a digital image input/output interface such as an HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), for example, and may output a digital video signal to the external electronic apparatus. The external electronic apparatus outputs a digital image according to the digital video signal input from the AV equipment via the HDMI.
Under such a digital-image input/output control, after a main switch of an AV equipment is turned on, it is necessary to execute two-way certification processing between the AV equipment and an external electronic apparatus, and to execute processing to establish a state allowing two-way communication. The processing to establish a state allowing two-way communication includes generating a key necessary for a ciphered communication, exchanging the key, and the like. Therefore, there is a problem that, after a main switch of an AV equipment is turned on, a relatively long time is required as a startup time until an electronic apparatus outputs a digital image. The relatively long time includes a time necessary for the above-mentioned processing required to establish a state allowing two-way communication.
As a method of reducing such a startup time, there is known a technology in which a power is previously supplied to an apparatus before a main switch is turned on (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-212678, hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). According to Patent Document 1, in an analog television apparatus, circuits of a tuner system, a deflection system, a heater system, and the like, whose rates of rise are slow, are previously energized for a predetermined time period in a time when the main switch is off. The predetermined time period is a time period in which a use frequency of the apparatus by a user is high. As a method for determining a time period in which a use frequency of the apparatus is high, there is known the following method. That is, a method for determining a time period in which a use frequency is high based on information on a time period and a day of a week that a main switch is on (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2008-131360, hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) is known.
According to the method of Patent Document 1, in an analog television apparatus, if circuits of a tuner system, a deflection system, a heater system, and the like, whose rates of rise are slow, are previously energized, an analog-image output control may be executed immediately after a main switch is turned on. However, in a digital-image input/output control such as HDMI, complicated processing to establish a state allowing two-way communication between an input-side system and an output-side system may be executed. Therefore, even if circuits whose rates of rise are slow are previously energized, processing to establish a state allowing communication may be executed after a main switch is turned on. So, after the main switch is turned on, it still takes time until an image is output.
Further, according to the method of Patent Document 2, if a user uses an apparatus everyday, accurate use-frequency information may be obtained for each day of a week. However, it is not always true that a time-varying change of usage inclination and the like are appropriately reflected on use frequency information. An example of the time-varying change of usage inclination is a case where a user does not use an apparatus for a long time.